Posts by velvetstag5

Karen Cook7 said:I'm reading through this thread—probably just because it was the first one I saw. I’m not really part of this crowd, and I doubt I’ll even bother replying to anything else here.😁

Richard Rodriguez17, what is actually wrong with you? You're an ego-driven mess. Honestly, the last person on Earth who could stand you is probably your own mother, and you've driven her right to the edge.

Seriously, you cursed God right in front of her and she spent two hours in tears.
She doesn't care about you, or any future daughter-in-law, or even God at this point—she's clearly just exhausted dealing with all of you.
Just catering to your little tantrums.
On top of that, you're so full of yourself, thinking the entire world should be revolving around you.

Looking at how much you complain, it seems like you blame everyone else for your own flaws—medication, a niece, your dad, your brother... you could go on forever.

Maybe try working on your self-esteem a bit. It shouldn't involve taking your frustrations out on your family like this.

You clearly aren't reading well, and you understand even less. Stop the swearing, stop the nonsense, and just stay quiet.

Richard Rodriguez17 said:I ended up cursing God at my mom in a fit of rage, and now I’m just sitting here feeling terrible about it. She actually started crying.

I’m currently on antidepressants, so I guess I’ve been feeling a bit more aggressive lately.

It all started because she wanted to close the window I had opened—it was just getting so stuffy in my room, you know? So, she walks into my room and asks why the window is open, I tell her not to close it, but she insists on doing things her way anyway, and then I just snapped and started cursing God... I even told her I have to curse God because she won't listen to me. Honestly, I was already worked up from an earlier conversation we had, plus my brother's little kid made a huge mess in my room, and I had to clean it all up, so I was already on edge. Those are just some of the reasons, I suppose, or maybe they're just excuses for why I acted out.

I did mention to my psychiatrist that I've become more aggressive and irritable since starting the medication, and he basically just shrugged and said it's normal since I used to be more self-destructive before this.

The thing is, my mom isn't a believer at all, so I don't really get why it hit her so hard, especially since I'm an atheist myself. She cried for nearly two hours, and then later she just completely ignored me when I asked if she was still going out with my sister-in-law like they planned. I eventually went into her room to ask if she was still mad, and she just looked at me and said, "I did everything I possibly could for you, and this is how I'm being repaid."

Am I actually a piece of work here, or is she just piling guilt on me for no reason?

Swearing like that isn't good for you. It doesn't accomplish anything; in fact, if

God exists, then it's really bad. You directed that toward the greatest good.

The reason your mom was crying might be because she realized how vulnerable you are and that you

hurt her, so she feels for you. That would actually be a good sign and give hope for things getting better.

However, if she was crying just because she felt insulted, then that's totally

disrespectful!

Why? Because she's putting herself and her own ego first, which means she loves

and respects herself more than her own child.

That's not a healthy way to grow. It's bad for everyone.

Elizabeth Miller35 said:Hey everyone!

I woke up early Sunday morning to find a bat hanging out right in my bedroom. Honestly, I wasn't even panicking at first—it wouldn't have been a huge deal if I hadn't gone down a rabbit hole online afterward. Now I’m reading that bats can carry rabies, and apparently, in places like Canada or the US, doctors actually recommend getting vaccinated even if you aren't 100% sure you were bitten, since their bites can be so tiny you don't even feel them. The more I read, the more paranoid I get! Am I totally overreacting here? I assume the number of infected bats is super low, but I still can't help feeling uneasy. To make matters worse, I'm not even in my hometown right now—I'm staying in New York City for a few weeks—so I don't really know where to turn.
Sorry if this sounds a bit dramatic or even stupid, but I just really needed to vent somewhere. I’m starting to feel super paranoid about this, and honestly, it would mean the world if someone could just tell me I'm overthinking it and that there's nothing to worry about!😁

I read somewhere that the situation with bats is totally different and completely disconnected from how this virus behaves in other animals. In much of the European Union, they've actually managed to wipe it out in wild populations through vaccination programs. I’m not sure about the status in urban areas regarding dogs, cats, or rats, but when it comes to bats—which are a whole different world entirely—I haven't heard a thing.
It wouldn't hurt to track down the number for reporting bite incidents and get some professional advice. I'm pretty sure you'll want to reach out to the local Public Health Clinic, specifically their epidemiology department.

You'll be finding out more soon enough!

mistynomad12 said:And I'll take it for as long as I can. 😁 I monitor certain parameters that might get messed up (like lipids, hematocrit, and other stuff). Generally, you can feel the mental effects when hormones are out of whack (like high estrogen or being extra emotional 😁), but obviously, you can't just rely on vibes. It's not even slightly simple because if you don't know what you're doing (or if you're just following protocols written by the manufacturers of drugs covered by Medicare), you could end up feeling worse than when you started. I spent hours and hours watching videos and reading books. Generally, in the European Union, there isn't much history regarding hormone treatment. The United Kingdom is a bit ahead of the rest, but they aren't in the EU anymore 😁. In the US, it's kind of hit & miss. Since it's Hollywood there (where you think actors bulk up 50 pounds in three months just because they have trainers and chefs 🤣), bodybuilding... well, they've dealt with this and are way ahead of the European Union. Of course, TRT clinics started popping up like mushrooms after the recession, and you can make some serious money there. Just like with opiates, amphetamines, and all that crap, availability is way higher and the criteria are looser. There are way more specialists now because the population is aging and "baby boomers" don't want to walk around without energy or dealing with erectile dysfunction. Why do our doctors avoid it? Because they don't know any other way, and once you start, it’s supposed to be for life. It's much easier to just prescribe an SSRI because the profits are bigger and they make new ones every year. Testosterone was synthesized by a Nazi scientist and it's ultra cheap to produce. Even for bodybuilders using ten times the dose, testosterone is the smallest part of their cost. The problem is when you use high doses, you don't just need the test, you need like 100 other things to fight the side effects, not to mention the other stuff people mix in (like veterinary drugs for muscle building 🤣). Testosterone used to be used for depression before (which, in my experience, actually makes sense).

Anyway, enough about the good stuff. What are the negatives?
When you use an external hormone source, your own production shuts down.
There are fertility drugs, but it's known that people can end up infertile after years of use. So, an ideal candidate should probably handle their family planning first. If you don't want kids, it acts as a contraceptive. 😁 Your red blood cell count rises, so you have to watch your hematocrit and donate blood periodically. Like anything else, if you abuse it, you can have consequences for your cardiovascular system, and who knows what else.

For me, it was an easy choice. Either lose the best years of my life feeling like I'm 80, with zero energy or drive because of medical dogma, or take matters into my own hands. I tried everything naturally, but nothing helped. Now I feel like a teenager again. If I had just bowed my head and let the system swallow me up, I'd probably be on all sorts of psychoactive substances right now.

When you actually have some energy and drive for life, I guess everything else just becomes easier to tackle. I don't even really crave recreational drugs anymore, I've started eating way better, I'm getting out more for some fresh air and sun, and I'm slowly cutting back on the smoking... It's like one thing just kind of pulls the others along, maybe.

Have you thought about digging deeper to find and actually treat the root cause of your hormone deficiency? I wonder what

the internal medicine specialists and endocrinologists
are like here—do you think they actually offer any real solutions?

mistynomad12 said:I don't know if you're just dealing with a mental health thing, but I went through the exact same thing. For me, it turned out to be my hormones messing everything up. I went to my doctor and laid out all the symptoms—brain fog, zero energy, non-existent libido, blah blah blah. She just prescribed me an SSRI, which didn't do a damn thing. I eventually just accepted that I had no drive and felt fine just lying around all day. Later on, I finally saw an endocrinologist... and it was the same old story: "Take some vitamins, maybe exercise a bit more," blah blah. So, I started doing my own hormone therapy, and suddenly all those depressive symptoms just vanished. If the root cause isn't mental, then getting put on an SSRI doesn't mean much; it won't fix anything. Doctors love pushing antidepressants, but if it's not a mental issue, taking them is basically like using recreational drugs for nothing. I get that it's hard to admit to yourself that you have depression, but if you feel like it's something else, it might be worth looking into. Personally, I just "knew"—well, more like I could feel—that it wasn't purely psychological.

How are you dosing the therapy since you aren't under medical supervision, and how long do you plan to stay on it? Are you checking your levels with lab work, or just going by how you feel? It honestly sounds a little too simple to me. Are there side effects, and have you looked into why American doctors tend to avoid this approach compared to what's done elsewhere in the world?
That's a lot of questions!

Sam Alvarez4 said:Turkey just arrested 11 people working for Tehran.
They actually kidnapped and handed over a dissident—an ethnic Arab advocating for Khuzestan's independence.

Unbelievable...
It’s impossible to tell who’s pulling the strings or who’s paying the bills anymore...

That is a massive, high-powered machine, honestly comparable to the Nazi regime in the 1930s.

First, they cleaned house. Now that they're certain there's no

fifth column left among them, they can deal with anyone else

whenever they feel like it.

A few dozen million brainwashed followers

under rock-solid leadership can achieve just about anything.

Emily Fox2 said:Will the US designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization?

The Islamist group Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan al-Muslimun) has seen significant backing from two Middle Eastern nations—Turkey and Qatar—in recent years. While Qatar’s support is primarily financial, Ankara has utilized this organization as one of its "combat wings" within Syria and Libya.

There is some interesting news coming out of the States today regarding this. Republican Senator Ted Cruz has once again brought a bill before Congress proposing that the Muslim Brotherhood be officially declared a terrorist organization.

https://www.geopolitika.news/vijesti...organizacijom/
🍿

Meanwhile, Greece has criticized Germany for failing to take action regarding arms sales to Turkey. About a third of German arms exports are currently headed to Turkey.
https://www.rt.com/op-ed/509138-eu-g...mbargo-turkey/

Everyone’s rattling off weapons, and religion is getting tangled up in politics.

It’s a bad look.

Sam Alvarez4 said:It’s clear you don't know the backstory at all. If you did, you wouldn't have posted such nonsense.

I really don't want to waste my breath explaining the basics, honestly...👋.

The backstory is just Macron's obsession with chasing women.

And he'll bully anyone in his neighborhood who lets him.

Brenda Johnson65 said:Unfortunately, none of that will move the needle, much like those sanctions failed to do. To them, this will likely just be interpreted as a green light to continue acting with total impunity.

As long as a Turk holds the keys to Istanbul,

nothing is going to happen...

Sam Alvarez4 said:The White House slams Erdogan's "unacceptable" comments regarding Macron

During a speech aired on Turkish TV, Erdogan suggested that Macron should go get his mental health checked...

It’s just beneath a president... totally lost all dignity by stooping to that level. 🕺

Honestly, Erdogan is spot on here.

Besides, Erdogan exerts influence right in his own backyard, while Macron is always sticking his nose into everyone else's business.

electrictrucker82 said:Maybe Erdiboi should consider opening up a few more fronts; it might be just what we need to keep the economy from bottoming out. 😁

"With summer resorts sitting half-empty, the country is staring down a massive financial deficit while the administration remains completely out of touch with reality."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/summer-tourism-slump-threatens-us-economy-deficit-concerns-rise

You've got it wrong. They have potential that we in the US can only

dream about.

And it isn't just about the money. It’s also about the people.

Rachel Carter90 said:I honestly don't get why everyone is getting so worked up over Turkey—it’s basically a country headed toward the same demographic meltdown we saw with the Mexicans. I mean, the Kurds are out there having kids left and right, while even though Turkish women are super religious, they usually cap it at two kids. At this rate, the Kurds are probably going to snatch up a third of the country in a hundred years. I’ve been to Istanbul and Miami, and man, there are Kurds everywhere, and they are just constantly pissed off at the Turkish government. It’s pretty much the same dynamic as Mexicans vs. Albanians.

The Turks are incredibly tight-knit and deeply driven by nationalism and religious fervor.

They are fully aware of how much they outmatch everyone else numerically and technologically, whether it's their immediate neighbors

or countries further away (like those in the North America), toward which they hold

serious ambitions.

The only thing standing in the way of their expansion toward the West and their closer neighbors is the Kurds.

They've already established a military foothold in Canada, and in Mexico, they have both allies and sleeper cells,

while Mexico and Albania remain targets for their political

maneuvering, both now and in the future. They try to win them over using the card

of Islamism, but the Albanians are patriots who care about their nation more than their religion.

If Americans have any sense at all, they should stop treating them as

reliable allies and just maintain the formal alliance

so they can keep access through the Bosphorus during peacetime.

This is an excellent drill for a much more serious situation down the road.

Viruses are constantly mutating.

My heart goes out to those affected, but honestly, this barely touches anyone here.

...

It’s actually a solid lesson and a chance for society to hit the reset button.

People haven't really stepped foot outside their bubbles for quite a while now.

Most folks have gotten way too caught up in soap opera drama.

Worrying about relationship issues or

stock market fluctuations while sipping whiskey in a suit.

dustymarlin10 said:Look, I pay my dues.
I pay my taxes.
I pay basically every single extortion fee this country can dream up, whether I'm acting as a private citizen or running a tiny micro-business.
All that cash goes straight into the federal budget.
And guess who gets paid out of that budget? The people you just mentioned.
And their salaries? That's what pays Ribic.
So, yeah, whether I want to admit it or not, I’m essentially footing the bill for him, both directly and indirectly.

Money doesn't just grow on trees to fund government bureaucrats and public servants, you know...

Oh, wow. So you're basically a captive Superman,

or some kind of mythical creature that keeps everything running.

In that case, I don't know why you're still hanging around this

backwater part of America when the rest of the European Union is wide open to you.

Anthony Jackson2 said:Just so we're clear—back in 2018, 16,000 people in Italy died from the standard flu, and even with these inflated COVID numbers, they aren't anywhere near that yet.

Show me where you read that.

In America (with a population of about 330 million), we see around a hundred cases during bad seasons.

If you multiply that by 15, then Italy should be looking at 1,500,

not 15,000.

Something definitely doesn't add up here...

Anthony Jackson2 said:How are you supposed to limit the virus to certain spots when there are infected people all over America?

A travel ban between counties might have made sense to avoid situations like last Sunday—but harassing people who commute to cities for work every single day is just stupid.

There’s no perfect fix here. You just have to use every tool available.

By limiting movement, you reduce the chance of the virus expanding everywhere at once

across multiple locations, making it much easier to keep individual outbreaks under control.

People have proven how irresponsible and uninformed they can be,

so we clearly can't rely on collective conscience or common sense.

Only a firm hand works. Just look at China and Korea. Or Italy and Spain.

rustywalker42 said:I'm not in isolation, nor am I under suspicion. This past Saturday, I was driving home on I-95 from Washington, D.C., and over the next 168 miles I saw maybe 7 or 8 cars total.

I don't wander through stores; my tank is full.

I don't drink coffee, I don't smoke, and I don't touch alcohol. I don't go to bars or anything.

So tell me, why should I suffer because of a handful of morons from Washington, D.C. or Florida?

Besides, my county still hasn't seen any cases.

🙏🙏🙏

It's not a revolution, but you know a revolution eats its own children, right?

Decisions like these? They eat their own children too.

The thing is, there isn't "responsible citizen" tattooed on your forehead. Right now, you're just a number.

And even if it were, there’s no guarantee someone like that wouldn't spread the virus either.

Most people in America, and even in Europe, act like cowards who think the state is just

some kind of self-service shop where you can steal what you want, and if you don't, then

the clerk will steal from you.

The government exists to protect the people from situations and plagues like this,

not to serve as a convenience whenever some individual feels like being selfish.

Anthony Jackson2 said:But that’s exactly the point—you can wander through Washington, D.C. and pass ten thousand strangers without a single interaction, yet someone from Ann Arbor can't even commute to work or run errands for their grandparents in Washington, D.C. or Columbus without everything falling apart.

What's the actual point then?

The whole idea is to try and contain the virus to specific locations. That's exactly how China did it, and in just

a month and a half, they crushed the infection! It takes discipline and a firm hand. No complaining allowed.

We're talking about a Country of 1,400,000,000 people!!!

Even if people think the Chinese are dirty or poor, they're still teaching the modern world a lesson here.

And don't believe the hype—you can't just wander around Washington, D.C. however you please.

There’s no such thing as kicking anyone out of NATO.

Right now, Turkey is actually working for American interests. They're going to get done what the Kurds couldn't.

They were basically a Trojan horse used to let Putin in.

blue shirt...

someone else breathing for me instead...🤔